I often write about exploring and enjoying your very own neighborhood and city as an incredible source of inspiration for your (big or small) home and your life. When I moved to New York in August of 2002, I was living in Soho in a tiny studio apartment that I simply loved. (one of my inspirations for this blog) I was working at an ad agency in the Meatpacking District and walked to and from work everyday. Sometimes I would take Bleecker and sometimes I would take W. 4th and every walk was a mini adventure.

It all changed when I bought myself an ipod that fall, a 1st gen. I had absolutely no idea that the ipod would become what it is today. I didn't know much about it even at the time. I simply bought one so I could accompany my walks with all my music, not just a cd. It was a lot of money for me at the time - a lot. From the first day I used my ipod, my walks changed. I took the same routes but my mini-adventures seemed to expand. Instead of just people watching as I strolled, I also began to look up and look down. I began to really see the buildings, the architecture, the way the tree-lined streets provided dappled lighting to the stationary townhomes, the wrought iron details, different colors of brick, the cobblestone streets, and more and more. I am sure I had always noticed the *design* but with my music, I really saw it and I continue to see it everyday, everywhere. Soon I began snapping photos and then writing about it and then connecting to like-minded people and then meeting new friends and then starting new projects and more and more.

Since picking up my ipod, I have started loving. living. small. which has certainly led me down a creative and interesting road - one that I have embraced and that feels right for me (and is different from the career I had been doing and didn't truly love). Visionary Steve Jobs said it best when he stated "Most important, have the courage to follow
your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want
to become. Everything else is secondary.” There are many more adventures ahead and I will continue to enjoy my surroundings and follow my heart.

Have you followed your heart? I love hearing people's stories about their personal adventures and inspirations. And are you inspired by your city? You can find ideas everywhere!! Here are a few of mine...

Comments

loved this post! I always find that walking around cities is so inspirational, there's always new things to discover, and it's somehow meditative, like if I go around contemplating buildings and streets for long enough, I find a certain calm. And when the city is New York, you just can't go wrong :)